Jitian Xingwen | Eye of Heaven overlooking the Yellow River, technology locks in the ice and snow

Suzhou No.1 Satellite (Jitian Star A-03) and Jilin University No.1 Satellite (Jitian Star A-01) are the new generation of optical remote sensing experimental constellations independently developed by Jitian Xingzhou. The satellite is equipped with an independently developed "high timeliness, high geometry, high spectrum" optical camera, which has conventional and dynamic imaging capabilities. The ground panchromatic, multispectral, and hyperspectral resolutions are 3m, and the width is 15km.

Jitian Xingzhou, relying on Jitian Double Star, conducted multiple observations of the Yellow River from Ningxia to Inner Mongolia and the eastern section of the Yellow River during the ice flood season from October 24, 2024 to March 9, 2025, using non rail transit curve imaging technology.

In history, due to river siltation and climate change, the Ningmeng and Shandong sections of the Yellow River, located at the top of the "Ji" shaped bay, have experienced multiple ice flood disasters. Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, there have been 88 ice flood disasters in the Ningmeng section from 1951 to 2011, with an average of about 1.5 times per year, causing numerous casualties and huge economic losses along the Yellow River.

The Yellow River ice flood refers to the phenomenon where the water level rises sharply due to ice blocking the river channel during winter and spring when the Yellow River freezes. It mainly occurs in river sections flowing from low latitudes to high latitudes. The ice flood of the Yellow River is mainly caused by both thermal factors and river characteristics. Due to the fact that some sections of the Yellow River flow from low latitudes to high latitudes (such as Inner Mongolia, Henan to Shandong during the summer solstice), the temperature in the lower reaches (high latitudes) freezes first in winter, while the upper reaches (low latitudes) are still flowing, resulting in the accumulation of ice caps downstream; In spring, the upper reaches thaw first, and the mixture of ice and water rushes downstream. If the ice layer downstream has not melted yet, it is easy to form an ice dam, which will raise the water level and cause ice floods. In addition, narrow bends, shallow shoals, and other river forms can exacerbate ice blockage, while sudden changes in flow (such as reservoir discharge) or sudden temperature rises ("Wukai River") can also increase the risk of dam failure.

Figure 1: Real time shooting of Liuling
(Source: Yellow River Water Conservancy Research Institute - WeChat official account)

At present, there are numerous "black technologies" for monitoring and early warning of the Yellow River's ice prevention, including radar drones, sonar reconnaissance aircraft, field scientific observation and research stations, and "Three Yellow Rivers" linkage decision-making. Remote sensing technology can provide efficient means for ice flood prevention and control. Through large-scale and rapid monitoring, the distribution of ice sheets, changes in ice thickness, and the location of ice dams can be obtained, making up for the shortcomings of traditional observation, early warning of high-risk river sections, and assisting reservoir scheduling and ice breaking operations. In addition, remote sensing technology can quickly assess disaster situations and provide long-term data support for studying the impact of climate change on ice floods, significantly enhancing disaster prevention capabilities.

Figure 2 Schematic diagram of ice prevention in the Yellow River
(Li Guoying, Yellow River Q&A Record: Yellow River Water Conservancy Press, 2009)

The non orbital one-time transit curve imaging technology breaks through the limitations of traditional strict imaging along the orbital direction, enabling satellites to image along the direction of any curved target (arc, S-shape, etc.), achieving efficient observation of linear targets such as key watersheds, pipelines, roads, borders, and coastal zones, and improving the comprehensive imaging efficiency of remote sensing satellites by an order of magnitude. Jitian Double Star is the only satellite with non orbital one-time transit curve imaging technology that can be industrialized and operated commercially, ranking at the international advanced level!
Jitian Xingzhou used non rail transit curve imaging technology to conduct multiple imaging of the Yellow River from Ningxia to Inner Mongolia and Shandong, and obtained remote sensing images of different sections of the Yellow River in multiple periods. The following figure shows a comparison of three periods of remote sensing images of the Yellow River at the border between Wuyuan County and Hangjin Banner from October 24, 2024 to March 9, 2025, including observation data before the ice flood season, during the river closure period, and during the river opening period.

Figure 3 Comparison of the border between Wuyuan County of the Yellow River and Hangjin Banner at different times
The following is an overview of the Baotou section of the Yellow River during the ice flow period on December 9th:

Figure 4 Overview of the Baotou section of the Yellow River during the ice flow period

Figure 5 Partial image of the Baotou section of the Yellow River during the ice flow period
The following figure shows a comparison of remote sensing images of the Yellow River section from Bayintaohai Town to Sankeliu Village during three time periods during the river closure period. On February 8th, the main stream reached its maximum ice cover length, and on February 9th, there was obvious ice flow and local freezing phenomenon in the river section.

Figure 6 Comparison of Yellow River Bayintaohai Town to Sankeliu Village at Different Times
The following is an overview of the Bayannur section of the Yellow River during the opening period on March 11th:

Figure 7 Overview of the opening period of the Bayannur section of the Yellow River
The following is a partial image of the opening period of the Bayannur section of the Yellow River:

Figure 8 Partial image of the Yellow River Bayannur section during the opening period
The following is an overview of the eastern section of the Yellow River during the river closure period on February 7th:

Figure 9 Overview of the Shandong section of the Yellow River during the river closure period
The following is a partial image of the Yellow River Shandong section during the river closure period:

Figure 10 Partial image of the Yellow River Shandong section during the river closure period
The Yellow River ice flood season from 2024 to 2025 began on November 27, 2024, and the entire line smoothly opened on March 19, 2025. The ice flood season ended smoothly, and no ice flood disasters occurred during the ice flood period. Jitian Xingzhou relies on independently developed non orbital one-time transit curve imaging technology to build a "space sentinel" three-dimensional monitoring network, realizing dynamic observation of key river sections from Ningxia to Inner Mongolia, Shandong, etc., and using aerospace grade precision spatiotemporal information services to strengthen the Anlan defense line of the mother river. During the Yellow River ice flood season, Jitian Xingzhou obtained over a hundred high-value image data, which not only provided key data support for ice prevention decisions, but also verified the practical ability of China's commercial aerospace in disaster warning, making technological innovation truly the "key to breaking the ice" to protect the ecological environment of the basin.